Clamping device for jacquard cards



Aug. 27, 1968 L; A ESER 3,398,767

CLAMPING DEVICE FOR JACQUARD CARDS Filed March 5, 1967 2 heets-Sheet 1//V VE/VTOR:

LUDW/G 'TRA GESER By ym q ATTORNEYS Aug. 27, 1968 L. TRAGESER 3,393,757

CLAMPING DEVICE FOR JACQUARD CARDS Filed March 5, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2/NVENTOR: Ll/DW/G TRAGESER ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,398,767CLAMPING DEVICE FOR JACQUARD CARDS Ludwig Trageser, 26 Hunefeldstrasse,Hamburg 70, Germany Filed Mar. 3, 1967, Ser. No. 620,499 Claimspriority, application Germany, Oct. 12, 1966, M 56,575; Oct. 15, 1966, M56,608 Claims. (Cl. 139-317) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A clampingdevice for receiving punched Jacquard pattern cards comprising twoparallel perforated clamping plates arranged on the changing frame insuch a manner that the outer plate is resiliently mounted to provide aclamping action against the thrust of the reading pins so as to increasethe life of the punched pattern cards.

This invention relates to clamping devices for Jacquard cards inautomatic embroidering machines which comprise two parallel clampingplates, an inner one and an outer one, arranged on a changing frame andprovided with holes for plate pins.

The Jacquard card, which is a punched card, is guided in the clampingdevice between the two clamping plates thereof and fed by means of afeed frame having feed pins engaging from outside into slots provided inthe clamping plates. At the end of a feed stroke, the rows of holes inthe card must be coincident with the holes in the clamping plates. Inthis manner the accuracy required for the sensing by the plate pins isobtained.

The partly punched Jacquard card will effect a preselection of theplates during the return movement of a changing frame. The plates whichare in front of punched holes in the card remain in their initialpositions, whereas the plates whose pins are not in front of punchedholes will be pushed back, thereby to select the corresponding stitchvalues through plate levers and final differentials of the automaticcontrol.

The Jacquard card will then be advanced by a feed stroke of the feedframe and the following stitch can be preselected and tripped.

In this arrangement the clamping plates must be sprung for fixing andretaining the Jacquard card so that the latter cannot fall down bygravity and thus trip wrong stitch values. springing is also required toachieve a compensating effect with cards which are smudgy, pasted ordiffering in thickness.

In the prior art devices of this kind, the outer clamping plate is fixedand the inner clamping plate is sprung. Since the plate pins areabruptly and hard thrust through the Jacquard card into theirpreselecting positions, the card is subject to wear owing to the factthat holes are pierced by the plate pins. A further disadvantageconsists in that in those cases where the Jacquard card is an endlessstrip of cardboard it cannot readily be removed from the clamping devicefor being exchanged. For this purpose holders must be detached and theclamping plates removed.

The object of the present invention is to eliminate the describeddisadvantages and to provide a clamping device for Jacquard cards whichenables the thrust of the plate pins to be damped, simultaneouslyreducing the wear and substantially increasing the working speed.

This object is achieved according to the present invention by providinga clamping device for Jacquard cards in automatic embroidering machines,which comprises two parallel clamping plates arranged on a changingframe and having holes for plate pins, the inner clamping plate facingthe plate pins being fixed to the changing frame, spring means forpulling the outer clamping plate near the inner clamping plate, andguide pins for guiding the outer clamping plate.

In this arrangement, the plate pins now are brought in a smooth andclamped manner through the cardboard of the Jacquard card into theirpreselecting positions and the number of cards run through per unit timeis increased two to three times compared with the hitherto usedarrangements.

It is possible to use different types of springs. For example, a springwire may be arranged for pulling the outer clamping plate towards theinner clamping plate through the intermediary of the guide pins.Furthermore, a compression spring arranged on each of the guide pins maybe used for urging the outer clamping plate towards the inner clampingplate. It is also possible to arrange the outer clamping plate so thatit will be pulled near the inner clamping plate by means of tensionsprings.

Finally, the invention can be realized by pivoting baillike leaf springsto the inner clamping plate, in such a manner that the leaf springs canbe snapped over the outer clamping plate for the purpose of pulling theouter clam-ping plate near the inner clamping plate.

Removal of the outer clamping plate is most simple.

Several embodiments of the invention will now be described by way ofexample and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a clamping device according tothe invention, showing an arrangement using a spring wire for moving theouter clamping plate towards the inner clamping plate;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the two clamping plates of the deviceillustrated in FIG. 1, showing an arrangement using compression springs;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2., showing an arrangement usingtension springs, and

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2, showing an arrangement using leafsprings.

As shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings, a clamping device as proposed by theinvention comprises an inner clamping plate 5 which can be fixed to thechanging frames 1 and 2 by means of bolts 6 that can be passed throughbores 17 in the latter, as well as an outer clamping plate 8 providedwith guide pins 7. Between the changing frames 1 and 2 there arearranged the plates 3 carrying the plate pins 4.

Between the inner clamping plate 5 and the outer clamping plate 8 aJacquard card (not shown) will be guided which is clamped therebetweenin the operative position. The clamping plates 5 and 8 are provided withholes 9 through which the plate pins 4 can pass. The Jacquard card willbe sensed by the plate pins 4 and the result will be transmitted to aknown Jacquard machine controlling an automatic embroidering machine.

The inner clamping plate 5 is provided with sleeves 10 havinglongitudinal bores 2-9 for receiving the guide pins 7 of the outerclamping plate 8, thereby to enable this latter to be slidably displacedrelative to the inner clamping plate 5. A spring wire 13 is providedwith an eye 12 for being secured, for example by means of a bolt (notshown), to the inner clamping plate 5 which for this purpose is providedwith a similar eye 11. In the assembled state of the device, the ends ofthe spring wire 13 are located in transverse grooves 14 of the guidepins 7. The spring provided by the spring wire 13 is rated so that ittends to pull the outer clamping plate 8 towards the inner clampingplate 5. By disengaging the ends of the spring wire 13 from thetransverse grooves 14 the outer clamping plate '8 can be removed withthe aid of a bail 15, without using a tool.

During the sensing operation, the outer clamping plate 8 will yield dueto its springing, whereby the Jacquard card is preserved. The movementof the outer clamping plate 8 may be limited by stops. For the purposeof feeding the Jacquard card, feed pins 16 are provided which areadapted to engage into slots 18 in the clamping plates and 8.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the guide pins 7 of the embodimentdescribed with reference to FIGS. 1 are replaced by guide pins 19carrying compression springs 20 which tend to urge the outer clampingplate 8 towards the inner clamping plate 5.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the invention in which each end of theouter clamping plate 8 is provided with a lug 21 for securing one end ofa tension spring 23 the other end of which is held by a pin 22projecting from the sleeve of the inner clamping plate 5. Guide pins 25serve to guide the outer clamping plate 8 which has bores 30 in whichthe guide pins are slidably received. In the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 4, at each end of the inner clamping plate 5, a bail-like leafspring 24 is pivoted to the sleeve 10 so as to be capable to be snappedover the outer clamping plate 8. When the leaf springs 24 are snappedover the outer clamping plate 8 they pull this latter towards the innerclamping plate 5. In this embodiment the outer clamping plate 8 isguided by means of guide pins 26 provided thereon and cooperating withcorresponding bores 31 in the inner clamping plate 5. For locking thebail-like leaf spring 24 in its operative position it is provided with ahole 27 into which an end 28 of the pins 26 can be inserted.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presentembodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects asillustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention beingindicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription and all changes which come within the meaning and range ofequivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

1. A clamping device for Jacquard cards in automatic embroideringmachines, comprising two parallel clamping plates arranged on a changingframe and having holes for plate pins, the inner clamping plate facingthe plate pins being fixed to the changing frame, spring means forpulling the outer clamping plate near the inner clamping plate, andguide pins for guiding the outer clamping plate.

2. A clamping device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spring meanscomprise a spring wire which is fixed to the inner clamping plate andtransverse grooves are formed in the guide pins of the outer clampingplate, the spring wire engaging with its ends in the transverse groovesin the guide pins thereby to pull the outer clamping plate near theinner clamping plate through the intermediary of the guide pins.

3. A clamping device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spring meanscomprise a compression spring which is arranged on each of the guidepins.

4. A clamping device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spring meanscomprise a tension spring which is arranged to pull the outer clampingplate near the inner clamping plate.

5. A clamping device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spring meanscomprise bail-like leaf springs which are pivoted to the inner clampingplate and can be snapped over the outer clamping plate for the purposeof pulling the outer clamping plate near the inner clamping plate.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,050,780 8/ 1936 Bohmann et al.112-86 2,305,334 12/ 1942 Wakefield 13968 FOREIGN PATENTS 776,571 6/1957 Great Britain.

HENRY S. JAUDON, Primary Examiner.

